Enough
by Standbackufools
Summary: Regina comes to a decision about what to do about Emma Swan's continued presence in her life. And it does not involve apples or poison.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is actually the first story I ever wrote for Swan Queen. I'd intended to write more, but I've kind of lost the muse for it, so I'm posting the two chapters I had done as a two-shot while I'm feverishly working on my other stories. Hope you like it anyway._

* * *

She couldn't focus on her work again. Plagued by her own thoughts, she could only hold her pen limply in her hand and hope that anyone passing by her office would just assume she was in the middle of reading something.

Regina Mills wasn't happy.

This was a problem that was occurring with increasing frequency, of late. Granted, there had only been one brief, shining moment of true happiness that had occurred over the last twenty eight years. Everything else... well, she'd made do. It had been enough. It was all she had.

It had happened when she'd first held Henry. He'd been tiny, then- only three weeks old. She'd picked him from his tiny bassinet in the hospital and held him in her arms... God, she'd been so afraid of dropping him. She'd never held a baby before, in either of her-

But she hadn't dropped him. In that hospital, holding her new son to her chest, he'd yawned, impossibly huge. She'd smiled, and for that one tiny, tiny moment, she'd been happy.

Over the years, she clung to that memory. She'd expected the happiness to grow as Henry had, but there had been nothing else that compared to that first time. Not even her son could fill the void of emptiness inside of her. But sometimes... sometimes she would look at him when he wasn't watching, and she would remember... And it was enough.

It had been enough for years. But no longer. Henry was drifting away from her, had been for a while now. Despite her best efforts to keep him and that first memory close to her, everything she'd done just seemed to push him further away, and she didn't know how to stop it. The memory came less and less frequently. And she'd been unable to summon it at all since he'd brought... _her_... to Storybrooke.

Emma Swan. God, just thinking about her, Regina found her hand clenching her pen so tightly it could break, spilling ink all over her. It had happened before. She forced her hand to relax, breaking out of her thoughts for a moment, and set down the innocent writing utensil. This was ridiculous. Just sitting around dwelling on things wasn't going to fix anything. She wanted Miss Swan- 'Sheriff' Swan, now- out of her town and out of her son's life. And her own. Hell if she was going to let the argumentative blonde who'd given him up in the first place steal the only thing in her life that had ever mattered.

Annoying, then, that everything she'd tried so far had only cemented Miss Swan's drive to stay. Threats and power moves had proven to be ineffective. A change in tactic was obviously called for. If Henry was resolved to continue to see _her_, and she was equally resolved to stay, then she'd just have to use that to her advantage.

There was really, she decided, only one course of action open to her.

She would have to seduce Emma Swan.

Smirking to herself, Regina picked her pen back up and continued her paperwork, signing her name on the line with a flourish.


	2. Chapter 2

Walking to the beetle after a long day, Emma paused to reflect that she'd actually gotten some work done that day. Amazing the things that could happen when she _wasn't_ being interrupted every few hours by Regina-

"Good evening, Sheriff."

Think of the devil. The voice was unmistakable, as was how the word 'sheriff' was pulled into a drawl, almost as if the speaker was purring it. Inwardly cursing, Emma almost wished she could ignore the all too smug, self satisfied voice coming behind her. But she found herself turning without conscious thought. Apparently, confrontation with Regina Mills was an unavoidable facet to her days.

The mayor looked well, she noticed, wearing a light coat against the chilly early fall evening. Grey, of course. Honestly, would it kill the woman to get some color in her wardrobe? Not everyone needed a red leather jacket, of course, but _something. _

"Madame Mayor." The blonde applauded herself for managing to say it without quite too much distaste in her tone. If she was going to stay in Storybrooke, she may as well pretend to be able to get along with Henry's adoptive mother. If only because she enjoyed seeing the annoyed look on the Mayor's face when she did. It was so much better than that small little grin she was wearing at the moment.

Emma matched it, sticking her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. "Come to boot my car again? I think you just missed Michael and his tow truck." As far as barbs went, not her best. But not her worst, either.

Regina only blinked, though her smile faltered for half a second. "No, actually. I understand you walked Henry to school again this morning."

Oh. This again. The blonde's hands left her pockets, arms coming up to cross her chest in a gesture that was both defensive and nonchalant. "Yeah, well. The kid has a habit of finding me in the morning." _Maybe if he had a little more supervision at home..._. she thought, but bit her tongue to avoid saying. She enjoyed spending time with the kid, despite his insistence on clinging to Operation Cobra.

To her annoyance, Regina didn't seem all that fazed. She merely inclined her head and said flatly: "His school called my office this morning. He was late to class. Again. That makes the third time this week." Emma didn't find it hard to catch the anger behind the other woman's words, though she was hiding it surprisingly well. "If you insist on walking him, see that he gets there on time."

With that, the Mayor turned away to begin walking back towards her car, leaving a bewildered blonde behind her.

What. The Hell. "Wait, that's it?" Emma called after her. "No threats or menacing words, just 'don't do it again?'"

Slowly, like she had all the time in the world, Regina turned back to her, that damned enigmatic smile back on her face. "The threats haven't suddenly started working on you, have they?"

"No, but-"

"Then why would I keep making them? Really, Miss Swan, it's become obvious that despite my best efforts, you're not going to be leaving my town-" Much less of an emphasis on 'my' this time, Emma noted. And then wondered when she'd started paying so much attention to how Regina spoke. "-any time soon. Rather than continue to fight with you, we may at least try to be civil. That's why I'm here." She tilted her head to the side a little, as if entreating.

Emma wasn't having it. She raised an eyebrow. "Really? 'Cause it looked like you were all set to leave a second ago."

That damned self-satisfied smirk again. "I knew you'd call me back." Without giving her time to respond, she continued on: "I'd like you to join Henry and I for dinner tomorrow, if you don't have other plans." The look in her eyes seemed to indicate she doubted she did.

For a half second, Emma considered refusing, just to spite the Mayor. She did hesitate, but only to regard the other woman warily, out of the side of her eye. "...What's the catch?"

Regina laughed, but for once it didn't sound insincere. "No catch," she answered calmly, spreading her hands apart. "Just dinner. If Henry insists on spending so much time with you, it's really in my best interest to try to get along with you."

"Right," Emma sneered. No 'almost' about it. "Like the last time you offered a truce and got Henry to think I thought he was crazy. Thanks, Madame Mayor, but no thanks." With that it was her turn to move away, facing her car again and digging in her pocket to get out her keys.

She froze completely when a hand lightly touched her elbow, and almost dropped her keys. Swallowing roughly, her head glanced back over her shoulder. She regretted it instantly. Regina looked... vulnerable? Nah, that couldn't be it. Henry wasn't stuck in a mine this time. There was no reason she should be looking at her that... way. Her legs moved on their own, turning her back to fully face the mayor. Her mouth was dry.

Regina kept looking at her that way, though her eyes averted to the side for a split second before returning. "Miss Swan... I realize we didn't get off to the best of starts... And I'd be lying if I said I was thrilled at your resolve to say here... But you're here, whether I like it or not. Trying to convince you to go isn't working, so it seems the best choice for Henry is to-"

"Stop right there. Look, I don't know where you get off thinking that suddenly saying that this is best for Henry is going to arouse my sympathy or whatever, but if you honestly think that I'm going to-" Regina looked at her that way again. The way she'd looked at her when Henry was caught in the mine, and Emma's words died in her throat. Henry got that look, too, sometimes, when he wanted her help with Operation Cobra. God, that look just made her want to come charging in like a knight out of one of his stories and slay all Regina's dragons.

...Henry's. Henry's dragons.

But Henry wasn't here now. Just Regina, looking vulnerable and lost and in need of some dragon-slaying. "I'm trying," the mayor said simply. "I'm not saying we'll be friends, Miss Swan... But I'd like to try not being enemies."

No. Absolutely not. This was Regina, and everything Regina did and said was only for Regina's benefit. The only thing to do here was get out her keys, open her car door and drive awa- "Yeah, okay."

Wait. What. Where had that come from?

Regina smiled, and not her usual smirky 'I've got you caught in my web now' kind of smile. Just a smile. "Wonderful."

She released Emma's elbow, finally, and stepped away, leaving Emma to wonder why her arm suddenly felt so cold.

Nodding her head, Regina turned away first again, and walked to her own car. "Dinner at eight," she called over her shoulder, and got in. The door slammed shut behind her, and the engine started. _Don't be late._

Emma watched her go, bringing her arms up to hug herself, subconsciously touching the same place Regina's fingers had rested, and watched the mayor drive away. With a slightly confused expression on her own face, Emma shook herself, and got into her bug.


End file.
